Wireless satellite digital audio radio service (SDARS) head unit with portable subscription and cell phone abilities

ABSTRACT

A system and method for automated activation of a radio, or content receiver, used to receive subscription radio services such as XM or Sirius radio. A wireless communications device with a short range data link wirelessly communicates with the content receiver to control the content receiver and receive a unique identification code from the content receiver. The wireless communications device also has its own unique identification code. The wireless communications device transmits an activation request message over a long range wireless communications link to a control station. The activation request message contains the receivers unique identification code and the communications device&#39;s own unique identification code. The control station maintains a database of valid identification codes that is used to authenticate the request. If the control station receives a valid request, an activation signal is sent to the receiver to allow operation of the receiver.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation of U.S. application Ser. No.11/233,583 filed Sep. 22, 2005 which claims the benefit of and herebyincorporates by reference U.S. Provisional Patent Application No.60/674,474 entitled “WIRELESS SDARS HEAD UNIT WITH PORTABLE SUBSCRIPTIONAND CELL PHONAE ABILITIES” filed on Apr. 25, 2005.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

This invention generally relates to controlling and activating satellitemedia service receivers and more specifically to controllers combiningwireless control of satellite media service receivers with transmissionof service activation requests for the controlled satellite mediaservice receiver.

2. Description of Related Art

Advances in technology have caused advances in subscription radioservices that provide radio services to radio receivers, referred toherein as a subscription receivers, that require activation prior tooperation. An example of such a subscription radio service is SatelliteDigital Audio Radio Service (SDARS), including system operated by SiriusSatellite Radio, Incorporated and XM Satellite Radio Holdings,Incorporated. In the example of SDARS, a specialized subscriptionreceiver is purchased and the user pays a monthly subscription fee tomaintain activation of the subscription receiver and to thereby be ableto receive the programming available through the subscription radioservice. These radios are commonly mounted in motor vehicles, homes,offices and other places where audio entertainment is desired.

In order for a user to enjoy subscription radio services in more thanone location or installation, the user has limited choices. The user canutilize a portable subscription receiver that can be carried and mountedat the various locations, often using a specialized mounting base orother installation to facilitate use and movement of the portablesubscription receiver among the multiple locations. Carrying thisportable subscription receiver can be inconvenient for the user. Anotheroption is to purchase and activate a separate subscription receiver foreach location. Although a user may be willing to purchase multiplereceivers, the user may not want to pay the recurring subscriptioncharge required to keep all of the radios activated. A user owningmultiple subscription receivers will also be required to configure eachof these subscription receivers with his or her preferences, such aspreset channels, favorite songs, volume settings, and the like. This canbe time consuming and discourages a user from changing theseconfiguration items. Further, the configuration of the user preferencesprogrammed into each of the multiple receivers may become different fromone another, such as having different preset channels and the like, asthe user changes these on one subscription receiver and not the others.This can lead to confusion and frustration for the user who will not besure of which received channel corresponds to the various channel presetselections of each subscription receiver.

Therefore a need exists to overcome the problems with the prior art asdiscussed above.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Briefly, in accordance with the present invention, a method on awireless communications device for controlling and requesting activationof a subscription activated media receiver includes providing, through afirst wireless connection, control of a subscription activated mediareceiver from a wireless communications device. The wirelesscommunications device is separate from the subscription activated mediareceiver. The method further includes receiving, through the firstwireless connection, at least one subscription receiver identifier fromthe subscription activated media receiver. The method also includestransmitting, through a second wireless connection, at least oneactivation request message from the wireless communications device to atleast one subscription service provider. The activation request messageincludes the subscription receiver identifier and at least onecontroller identifier for identifying at least one account associatedwith the wireless communications device.

In accordance with another aspect of the present invention, a computerimplemented method that is performed on a computer coupled to asubscription media transmitter, the method being used to process atleast one activation request message for at least one subscriptionactivated media receiver, includes storing at least one controlleridentifier, where each of the at least one controller identifier isassociated with a respective controller authorized to request activationof subscription activated media receivers. The method further includesaccepting at least one activation request message that includes at leastone requesting subscription receiver identifier and at least onerequesting controller identifier. The activation request message havingbeen received over a telecommunications link. The method furtherincludes validating the activation request message received over thefirst wireless link and transmitting over a wireless broadcast channel,in response to the validating of the message, at least one activationsignal to a first subscription media receiver that is associated withthe requesting subscription receiver identifier.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

In the accompanying figures, where like reference numerals refer toidentical or functionally similar elements throughout the separate viewsand which together with the detailed description below are incorporatedin and form part of the specification, serve to further illustratevarious embodiments and to explain various principles and advantages allin accordance with the present invention.

FIG. 1 is an overall system diagram of a satellite media service inaccordance with an exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is an overall system communications interface diagram of asatellite media service with a wireless communication service inaccordance with an exemplary embodiment in the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a diagram of a satellite media service receiver in accordancewith an exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a diagram of a wireless communications device with a satellitereceiver controller in accordance with an exemplary embodiment of thepresent invention.

FIG. 5 is a diagram of a computer for a satellite media subscriptionradio service provider in accordance with an exemplary embodiment of thepresent invention.

FIG. 6 is a processing flow diagram for the wireless communicationsdevice with a satellite receiver controller illustrated in FIG. 4, inaccordance with an exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 7 is a processing flow diagram for the computer satellite mediasubscription radio service provider computer illustrated in FIG. 5, inaccordance with an exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 8 is a processing flow diagram for a satellite media servicereceiver in accordance with an exemplary embodiment of the presentinvention.

FIG. 9 is a diagram illustrating data communications interconnectionsbetween two commonly owned satellite media service receivers inaccordance with an exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

The exemplary embodiments of the present invention provide a portablesubscription receiver activation system whereby a user is able toactivate and deactivate subscription receivers through the use of aportable, wireless communications device, such as a cellular phone thatincorporates a Personal Digital Assistant (PDA), i.e., a cellularphone/PDA that includes a Bluetooth interface described as a firstwireless connection in the following discussion. In an exemplaryembodiment, the wireless communications device establishes a wirelesslink with a subscription receiver over a Bluetooth interface. Thecellular phone/PDA queries the subscription receiver for itsidentification value, which is typically an alphanumeric string thatuniquely identifies the subscription receiver. The cellular phone/PDAfurther includes another identifier that is associated with either thewireless communications device or with the individual user, such as itstelephone number, Electronic Identification Number (EIN), user accountnumber, and the like. The identifier stored in the cellular phone/PDAuniquely identifies that device, and thereby also identifies the user inpossession of the device. The identifier stored in the cellularphone/PDA is used by the subscription radio service provider to identifythe user and the user's account to which the activation is to be chargedor under which the activation is to be authorized. The cellularphone/PDA then transmits an activation request message for thesubscription receiver to the subscription radio service provider over acellular phone link, which is discussed as a second wireless connectionin the following discussion. The activation request message in thisexample is a digital data message that includes the subscriptionreceiver identification value and the other identifier identifying thewireless communications device or the user. Upon receipt of theactivation request message, the subscription radio service provider,such as a SDARS provider, validates the message and if valid, transmitsan activation signal to the subscription receiver over the SDARS link.The user of the cellular phone/PDA is then able to listen with thesubscription receiver, which is now activated.

In the above example, the subscription receiver may be located, forexample, in the user's home. The user is then able to move to adifferent location, with the cellular phone/PDA, where a secondsubscription receiver is located, such as into the user's car. Uponentry into the car, the cellular phone/PDA is able to establish aBluetooth link to a subscription receiver in the user's car and repeatthe activation request processing described above. Processing at eitherthe subscription radio service provider or within the cellular phone/PDAtracks that this user is requesting activation of a second subscriptionreceiver and upon activating the second subscription receiver, transmitsa deactivation signal to the previously activated subscription receiver,i.e., the subscription receiver in the user's home in this example. Thesubscription radio service provider is able to track these activationsand bill for various options, such as the ability to use this portablesubscription service and/or bill for the number of unique receiversactivated by a particular user.

An example of the operation of the exemplary embodiments includeslinking specific subscription receivers, such as subscription receiversowned by a particular user, to a wireless communications device. In thisexample, a user is only able to successfully request activation forsubscription receivers linked to his or her account with thesubscription radio service provider. This prevents a user fromsuccessfully requesting activation of; for example, a friend'ssubscription receiver. These exemplary embodiments of the presentinvention may further include an ability to define “public subscriptionradios” that are radios that can be successfully activated by anywireless communications device. Such public subscription radios may belocated, for example, in places such as restaurants, coffee houses,hotels, and like places where a series of individuals are likely to befor relatively short periods of time. The subscription radio serviceprovider may elect to charge a user for activation of each publicsubscription radio or for the ability to be able to activate any publicsubscription radio.

Another aspect of the present invention includes tracking usagestatistics for a user, such as channels selected and the time of daythese channels were selected for a particular user. The wirelesscommunications device is then able to transmit these usage statistics tothe subscription service provider or to another data collection entitywhen sending the activation request message.

Referring now in more detail to the drawings in which like numeralsrefer to like parts throughout several views, FIG. 1 illustrates anoverall system diagram of a satellite media service 100 in accordancewith an exemplary embodiment of the present invention. The satellitemedia service 100 includes at least one satellite 102 and more generallyconsists of a plurality of satellites operated by subscription satelliteproviders, such as the SDARS providers. Each subscription satelliteprovider in this exemplary embodiment, such as Sirius Satellite Radio,Incorporated or XM Satellite Radio Holdings, Incorporated, operates oneor more central ground stations 122. In order to simply theillustrations of the exemplary embodiments of the present invention, thefollowing discussion refers to the subscription radio service providersas being included in the central ground stations 122. It is clear inlight of the present discussion that the subscription radio serviceproviders are able to be distributed over several locations that includemultiple central ground stations, data processing facilities, and thelike.

The central ground stations 122 of the exemplary embodiment transmit oneor more uplink broadcast signals 222 that contain programming data, suchas audio programs or other multi-media programming data, to satellite102. The uplink broadcast signals 222 transmitted by the central groundstations 122 further contain activation signals that are addressed tothe various subscription receivers, described below, that activate anddeactivate selected subscription receivers. The satellite 102 of theexemplary embodiment receives the uplink broadcast signals 222 andretransmits downlink broadcast signals 224 back to earth. The satellite102 of the exemplary embodiment transmits broad radiation beam downlinkbroadcast signals 224 that covers a relatively wide geographic area suchas the continental Unites States. Further embodiments of the presentinvention are able to transmit narrow beam downlink broadcast signals224 that have a more narrow geographic coverage. Furthermore, groundbased repeaters (not shown) transmit signals from received provider 122to supplement reception of the downlink broadcast signals 224 in areasless conducive to satellite reception, such as metropolitan areas. It isfurther clear in light of the present discussion that furtherembodiments of the present invention are able to operate withterrestrial radio broadcasts and other media distribution systems.

The Downlink broadcast signals 224 are received by multiple subscriptionreceivers located at various locations and in various types ofinstallations. The illustrated exemplary embodiment shows various typesof subscription receivers and their exemplary installations. A homesubscription receiver 110 is illustrated as being installed in asubscriber's residence 104. An automobile subscription receiver 112 isillustrated as being installed in a car 106 and an office subscriptionreceiver 114 is illustrated as being installed in an office 108. Thevarious types of subscription receivers are able to have similarelectrical designs that are adapted for a particular installation. Forexample, the automobile subscription receiver 112 is adapted to mount ina vehicle and operate from a lower voltage, direct current power source.The home subscription receiver 110 and office subscription receiver 114are both adapted to operate from conventional AC power but may havedifferent packaging and/or audio connections adapted for installation inthe different environments of a home and an office. The homesubscription receiver 110 operates with a house mounted antenna 116. Theautomobile subscription receiver 112 operates with an automotive antenna118 that is adapted to mount on a vehicle. The office subscriptionreceiver 114 operates with an office antenna 120 that is adapted tomount, for example, in an office environment found in office 108. Theseantennas all operate to receive the downlink broadcast signal 224 anddeliver the received signal to their associated subscription receivers.

In an example of this illustrated embodiment of the present invention,one individual owns the three subscription receivers illustrated in theoverall system diagram of the satellite media service 100. In a priorart arrangement, this individual would require three subscriptions, onefor each subscription receiver, in order to freely use these threesubscription receivers. This individual would be required to pay forthese three subscriptions even though only one receiver will be used ata given time. The exemplary embodiments of the present invention providethe ability to activate only the subscription receiver that is locatedwhere the individual is at the particular time while the othersubscription receivers are either deactivated or activated under anotherindividual's subscription. These exemplary embodiments allow anindividual to enjoy listening to any of a number of subscriptionreceivers while restricting receiver activation to only the subscriptionreceiver currently being used.

FIG. 2 is an overall system communications interface diagram 200 of asatellite media service with a wireless communication service inaccordance with an exemplary embodiment in the present invention. Anexemplary subscription receiver 202 is shown to be receiving downlinkbroadcast signals 224 from either or both of two satellites 102. Theexemplary embodiment illustrated for the overall system communicationsinterface diagram 200, shows two satellites 102 that are each operatedby a separate subscription radio service provider. The two subscriptionradio service providers of this exemplary embodiment correspond, forexample, to Sirius Satellite Radio, Incorporated and XM Satellite RadioHoldings, Incorporated.

The subscription receiver 202 illustrated in this exemplary overallsystem communications interface diagram 200 includes a receiver shortrange wireless interface 206 that corresponds to the Bluetooth®standard. The receiver short range wireless interface 206 is used toprovide control and monitoring functions for the subscription receiver202 as well as perform the functions associated with requestingsubscription receiver authorization. These functions are described indetail below. Further embodiments of the present invention incorporateeither wired or wireless interfaces to provide some or all of thesefunctions, including wireless interfaces that operate in accordance witha wireless interface defined by an IEEE 802.11 standard, infraredinterfaces and other short range and long range wireless interfaceprotocols.

The receiver short range wireless interface 206 of this exemplaryembodiment communicates data over a short range wireless link 212 with acellular phone/PDA 204. The cellular phone/PDA 204 of the exemplaryembodiment includes a cellular phone/PDA short range wireless interface208 that is compatible with the receiver short range wireless interface206 and supports bi-directional data communications over the short rangewireless link 212, which is also referred to as a first wirelessconnection. The cellular phone/PDA 204 of the exemplary embodimentincludes cellular telephone communications capabilities that supportvoice and/or data communications over a long range wireless link 214 toa cellular phone provider 216. The long range wireless link 214 is alsorevered to as a second wireless connection in the following discussion.The cellular phone/PDA 204 of the exemplary embodiment is able tocommunicate over long range wireless links 214 that utilize eitherGSM/GPRS or CDMA based cellular telephone networks. It is to be notedthat the short range wireless link 212 and the long range wireless link214 are so designated in this discussion due to their characteristicsfor this particular exemplary embodiment. Further embodiments are ableto communicate the data conveyed by the short range wireless link 212and the long range wireless link 214 over communications links that haveany suitable characteristics.

The cellular phone/PDA 204 of the exemplary embodiment performsconventional voice communications over a cellular telephone link 214.The cellular phone/PDA 204 of the exemplary embodiment is a combinationcellular phone and Personal Digital Assistant (PDA) that incorporates auser interface that includes a touch-screen display 211 and keyboard210. Alternatively the user interface may include button controls onlyor a combination of button and touch-screen controls. The cellularphone/PDA 204 of the exemplary embodiment includes data processingcapabilities that support loading and executing software programs toperform various processing. The software executing on the cellularphone/PDA 204 is able to control, process and otherwise manipulate datathat is transmitted and/or received over the short range wireless link212 or the long range wireless link 214.

The cellular phone/PDA 204 of the exemplary embodiment contains softwarethat operates to control and monitor the operation of the subscriptionreceiver 202. The cellular phone/PDA 204 of the exemplary embodimentexecutes software that provides a user interface on the touch-screendisplay 211 of the cellular phone/PDA 204 that displays currentoperating information for the subscription receiver 202, such as thecurrently tuned channel number, current song title and artist and/orinformation such as stock quotes or sports scores. The user interface onthe touch-screen display 211 further includes, for example, controls forsetting volume (“VOL”) and channel tuning (“TUNE”) that each haveadjacent “up” and “down” arrows. The display areas around these “up” and“down” arrows is touch sensitive in the exemplary embodiment and auser's touching of these areas of the touch-screen 211 will result in aninput to the software executing on the cellular phone/PDA 204 thatindicates the desired change in the operation of the subscriptionreceiver 202. The software executing on the cellular phone/PDA 204 will,in response to this input, form a proper command for the subscriptionreceiver 202 and communicate this command through the short rangewireless link 212, which is a Bluetooth® link in the exemplaryembodiment. The subscription receiver will receive this command andadjust its operation accordingly.

In the operation of the exemplary embodiment of the present invention,the cellular phone/PDA 204 will initially establish a short rangewireless link 212 with the subscription receiver 202. After this link isestablished, the software operating in the cellular phone/PDA 204queries the subscription receiver for its subscription receiveridentification number. The cellular phone/PDA 204 includes anotheridentifier, its own communication device identifier, as is describedbelow. The software operating in the cellular phone/PDA 204 of theexemplary embodiment assembles these two identifiers into an activationrequest message and transmits that assembled activation request messageover a suitable data link that includes the long range wireless link214. In the exemplary embodiment, the activation request message is ableto be carried within, for example, a Short Message Service (SMS) messagecommunicated via a conventional cellular phone data mechanism. Otherdata communications techniques, such as e-mail or other packet orchannel switched communications mechanisms, are employed by furtherembodiments of the present invention. The subscription request messageis communicated over the long range wireless link 214 to a wirelesscommunications provider 216 in the exemplary embodiment and thenforwarded through any suitable data communications system, illustratedin this example by data communications link 218, to the propersubscription radio service provider station 122. The cellular phone/PDA204 of the exemplary embodiment is configured to properly address theactivation request message to the proper subscription radio serviceprovider based upon, for example, the subscription radio serviceprovider through which the user has a subscription for subscriptionradio service. Although this example illustrates the use of a cellularphone system link as a long range wireless link 214, it is clear inlight of the present discussion that other wired or wireless links, suchas links operating under the an IEEE 802.11 standard and/or links thatinclude conventional telephone communications systems can be utilized tocommunicate the activation request message from the wirelesscommunications device to the subscription radio service provider 122.

Each of the subscription radio service providers operate associatedsubscription radio service provider stations 122, which include groundterminals for transmission of programming and subscription receiveractivation signals through the uplink broadcast signals 222. Thesubscription radio service provider stations 122 further include auser-subscription receiver identifier database 220. Theuser-subscription receiver identifier database 220 stores datapertaining to valid user subscription identifiers and any associatedsubscription receiver identifiers, as is described below. The processingof systems within the subscription radio service provider station 122receives, from the data communications link 218, the activation requestmessage from a cellular phone/PDA 204 and then validates that message.The validation processing is dependent upon the type of subscriptionssupported by the subscription radio service provider, and is describedbelow. If the activation request is determined to be valid, theprocessing of systems within the subscription radio service providers122 then transmits an activation data message over the uplink broadcastsignal 222, which is relayed via satellite 102 to the downlink broadcastsignal 224 and received by the subscription receiver 202 through antenna226. Upon receipt of the activation data message, the subscriptionreceiver 202 is then able to properly receive broadcast programming forwhich the user has a valid subscription. Further processing associatedwith activation, and subsequent deactivation, of subscription receiver202 is described in detail below.

FIG. 3 is a diagram of a satellite media service receiver 300 inaccordance with an exemplary embodiment of the present invention. Theexemplary satellite media service receiver 300 is an example of asubscription receiver and includes a controller 304 that includes aprogrammable microcontroller that provides data storage and devicecontrol for other components in the satellite media service receiver.The controller 304 is in communication with non-volatile and volatilememory to store programming instructions and data used in the processingperformed by the controller 304. Program memory 330 of the satellitemedia service receiver 300 stores executable computer executableinstructions that control the operation of controller 304. The programmemory 330 of the exemplary satellite media service receiver 300 storessoftware modules including a receiver control module 332, configurationmanagement module 334, communications control module 336 and anoperating system module 338. The receiver control module includessoftware to control operation of the various components of the satellitemedia service receiver 300, including the subscription signal receiver320 and audio section 308. The configuration management module 334includes software to control the configuration of the satellite mediaservice receiver 300, including management of various user preferencesand the like. The communications control module 336 includes software tocontrol the Bluetooth interface 206 and perform the bi-directional datacommunications over the short range wireless link 212 of the exemplaryembodiment. The operating system module 338 includes software tocontrol, for example, the basic operation of the controller 304.

The satellite media service receiver also includes a conventionalsubscription signal receiver 302 that receives control signals, such aschannel selections, from the controller 304 and a received RF signalfrom an antenna 226. The subscription signal receiver further accesses areceiver identifier 312, which is a unique identification value thatuniquely identifies the particular satellite media service receiver 300.In order to deter unauthorized access or hacking of the subscriptionservice, downlink signal 224 is encrypted and the subscription receiver302 is preferably only activated (enabling decryption of the downlinksignal) or deactivated in response to signals received from provider 122through downlink signal 224. The receiver identifier 312 is indicated,for example, in the activation data message sent from the subscriptionradio service provider to the satellite media service receiver 300. Thesubscription signal receiver 302 provides an audio output signal to anaudio section 308 to produce a suitable, multiple channel, audio outputthat is ultimately delivered, for example, to audio speakers to producethe desired audio programming.

The satellite media service receiver 300 further contains aconfiguration memory 310 that is used to store configurationinformation. Configuration infatuation includes information used in theoperation of the satellite media service receiver 300 such as, forexample, audio output levels, currently tuned channel, and the like. TheController 304 of the exemplary embodiment further works through aBluetooth interface 206 and Bluetooth antenna 314 to support a shortrange wireless interface 212 to, for example, a cellular phone/PDA 204.The controller 304 provides status information through the Bluetoothinterface 206 to the cellular phone/PDA 204 for display, storage, orcommunication to the subscription radio service provider 122. TheController 304 further provides required control signals to thesubscription signal receiver 302 and the audio section 308 in responseto user control inputs received from the cellular phone/PDA 204 throughthe Bluetooth interface 206. As discussed above and in greater detailbelow, after initialization of the short range wireless link 212 throughthe Bluetooth interface 206, the cellular phone/PDA 204 requests thereceiver identifier 312 and the controller formats a proper data messagecontaining the receiver identifier 312 for transmission to the cellularphone/PDA in forming an activation request message. Receiver 300 mayalso have its own supplemental user interface providing for control ofthe receiver in addition to portable controller 204.

FIG. 4 is a diagram of a wireless communications device 400 with asatellite receiver controller in accordance with an exemplary embodimentof the present invention. The wireless communications device correspondsto the relevant components of the cellular phone/PDA 204 of the abovedescribed exemplary embodiment. The wireless communications device 400includes a processor 402 that is a programmable microcontroller ormicroprocessor that is configured to perform the processing to implementthe operation of the exemplary embodiment of the present invention. Thatprocessing is described in detail below. Processor 402 includes volatileand non-volatile data storage to store programming instructions and dataused in the processing performed by the processor 402. The processor 402operates with a Bluetooth interface 208, and Bluetooth antenna 430 toimplement the short range wireless link to the subscription receiver 202in order to exchange data between the wireless communications device 400and the subscription receiver.

Program memory 430 of the wireless communications device 400 storesexecutable computer executable instructions that control the operationof controller 402. The program memory 430 of the exemplary wirelesscommunications device 400 stores software modules including an operatingsystem 432, a user interface 434, a subscription receiver control module436 and an activation request generation 438. The wirelesscommunications device 400 of the exemplary embodiment incorporates acommercially available handheld computer operating system 432 such asWindows Mobile available from Microsoft Corporation of Redmond, Wash.The program memory 430 contains a user interface software module thatincludes software to control the display of information on thetouch-screen display 211 and accepts user inputs received through eitherone or more of the keyboard 210, the touch-screen display 211 and/or theaudio input 408 as is described below. The subscription receiver controlmodule 436 includes processing to implement front panel control of asubscription receiver 202 via commands to the subscription receiver 202sent over the short range wireless link 212. The activation requestgeneration module operates to generate and transmit a subscriptionreceiver activation request by requesting the subscription receiveridentifier from the subscription receiver 202 and transmitting therequest to a subscription radio service provider 122 over the long rangewireless link 214 through the data transceiver 404.

The wireless communications device 400 includes data storage 410 tostore data temporary and quasi-permanent data used by processor 402. Theprocessor 402 of the exemplary embodiment communicates with the datastorage 410 via data bus 422. The data storage 410 includes userpreference storage 412 that contains user preferences for thesubscription receiver 202. The user preferences include, for example,preset channel selections, favorite songs, volume settings, and thelike. The data storage 410 includes configuration storage to store userconfiguration preferences, such as display configurations and the like.The controller identifier storage 416 stores a unique controlleridentifier for the wireless communications device 400 that uniquelyidentifies this device. As discussed below, the controller identifier isassociated with a particular user account maintained by the subscriptionradio service provider 122. Examples of controller identifiers stored inthe controller identifier storage 416 include, for example, the phonenumber of the cellular phone/PDA 204, the Electronic IdentificationNumber (EIN) used by the cellular telephone carrier to identify thecellular phone/PDA 204.

Data storage 410 further includes usage statistics 418 that stores, forexample, the received broadcast channels that the user has selected totune the subscription receiver 202 and the times at which thesubscription receiver 202 was tuned to each received channel. In anexemplary operational mode, the wireless communications device 400transmits the accumulated and stored usage statistics 418 to thesubscription radio service provider 122 or to another data collectionentity. Data storage 420 also stores subscription receiver identifiersreceived from subscription receivers. Some embodiments of the presentinvention allow the wireless communications device 400 to be used tocontrol different receivers in a serial fashion, i.e., a firstsubscription receiver is activated and then the user can move to asecond subscription receiver and activate that second subscriptionreceiver. Some embodiments store the receiver identifier of the firstsubscription receiver in the receiver identifier storage 420 and send adeactivation request for the first subscription receiver when the secondsubscription receiver is to be activated. Other embodiments of thepresent embodiments track the deactivation of previously activatedsubscription receivers at the subscription radio service providerstation 122 and may not require storage of the receiver identifier forthe first subscription receiver.

The wireless communications device 400 further includes the userinterface components of a touch-screen display 211, keyboard 210 and anaudio input 408. The processor 402 communicates with these userinterface components via data bus 422. The keyboard 210 allows a user toenter alpha-numeric data as required and prompted by the touch-screendisplay 210. The user is also able to provide input by touchingdesignated areas of the touch-screen display 211. Audio input 408 of theexemplary embodiment is able to accept voice commands from a user anduse suitable voice recognition processing to convert those voicecommands into proper commands to be sent to the subscription receiver202.

The wireless communications device 400 further includes a datatransceiver 404 to communicate data, such as activation requests andusage statistics, to the subscription radio service provider station 122over a long range wireless link 214. Properly formatted digital messagesare formed by processor 402, communicated via data bus 422 to datatransceiver 404 for proper modulation and transmission through thecellular antenna 432.

FIG. 5 is a diagram of a computer system 500 for a satellite mediasubscription radio service provider in accordance with an exemplaryembodiment of the present invention. Computer system 500 corresponds toa computer located within the subscription radio service provider 122 ofthe above described exemplary embodiment. The computer system 500 has acomputer processor 530 and various peripheral devices such as a datastorage subsystem 514, one or more terminals 518, communications network218 and another external computer referred to in this example as abroadcast controller 544.

Computer system 500 includes a CPU 502 that executes various computerprograms including programs used to implement the exemplary embodimentof the present invention. The computer system 500 includes memory 540that includes volatile and non-volatile data storage for storingprograms and data used by the CPU 502. Memory 540 stores an operatingsystem 520 that controls overall operation of the CPU 502. Memory 540also stores application programs such as a subscription receiveractivation software component 522, a communication software component524, and a database manager 526. The communication software component524 performs the processing associated with accepting activation requestmessages received from data network 218 through communications adaptorhardware 510 and dispatching data to a broadcast controller 544 operatedwithin the subscription radio service provider 122. The broadcastcontroller 544 operates to transmit activation messages to thesubscription receivers.

The subscription receiver activation software 522 accepts activationrequest messages via the communications software 524, validates theactivation requests based upon data stored and maintained by thedatabase manager 526, and determines whether to transmit an activationmessage via the uplink broadcast signal 222 to the subscription receiverspecified in the activation request message. The processing of thesubscription receiver activation software is described in further detailbelow. The subscription receiver activation software of some embodimentsof the present invention further performs subscription receiverdeactivation determination processing.

The memory 540 also includes a database manager 526 that stores variousdata used by the processing performed by CPU 502 in conjunction withperforming subscription receiver activation and deactivation. Examplesof data maintained by the database manager 526 that are shown for thisexemplary embodiment include a list of controller identifiers 528,controller-receiver pairings 530, public subscription receiveridentifiers 532 and user configurations 534. The public subscriptionreceiver identifiers 532 are a list of subscription receiver identifiersthat are associated with public subscription radios. Data stored andmaintained by the database manager 526 is generally stored on massstorage devices maintained by a data storage system 514, which isdescribed below. Data maintained by the database manager 526 andoperated upon by the processing of other software components, such asthe subscription receiver activation software 522, is often temporarilytransferred into computer memory 540 for processing. The operation ofthe subscription receiver activation software 522 and its use of thedata stored by the data base manager 526 are described in further detailbelow. The data storage subsystem 514 is further able to accept and reada computer readable medium 516 that contains data and, for example,computer executable instructions to be loaded into other data storagedevices or memory 540.

CPU 502 further communicates through a mass storage interface 506 to adata storage subsystem 514. Data storage subsystem 514 includes massdata storage devices such as disk drives and the like to store datamaintained by the database manager 526. The data storage subsystem 514is able to use a single data mass storage device or distributed massdata storage devices that are collocated or maintained in disparategeographic locations. The data storage subsystem further operates tomaintain virtual memory for the computer processor 530 in the exemplaryembodiment. The CPU 502 also communicates to one or more externalterminals 518 through a terminal interface 508. External terminals 518are able to be conventional terminals or other user interface devicesthat execute on other computers that are in data communications with thecomputer processor 530.

FIG. 6 is a processing flow diagram 600 for a wireless communicationsdevice with a satellite receiver controller 400 as is illustrated inFIG. 4, in accordance with an exemplary embodiment of the presentinvention. The exemplary wireless communications device processing flow600 begins by pairing, at step 602, with a subscription receiver over aBluetooth link. This pairing operation is performed in the exemplaryembodiment by using conventional methods. The processing then requestsand receives, at step 604, the subscription receiver identifier over theBluetooth link that has been set up. The processing then transmits, atstep 606, the subscription receiver identifier and controller identifierto the subscription radio service provider over a long range radio link.The processing of the exemplary embodiment performs this step bygenerating an activation request message that contains the receivedsubscription receiver identifier and a controller identifier that isassociated with the wireless communications device and/or the user ofthat device and sending this information in a suitable format and/orprotocol.

The processing of the exemplary embodiment then transmits, at step 608,accumulated usage statistics to the subscription radio service provider122. The wireless communications device with a satellite receivercontroller 400 accumulates usage statistics for subscription receiversthat it controls. The usage statistics of the exemplary embodimentinclude, for example, the subscriber receivers being controlled, thechannels to which the controlled receivers are tuned, and the time ofday at which these values change. Further data items are able to also beaccumulated as usage statistics. The processing then provides, at step610, control of the subscription receiver. The control of thesubscription receiver in the exemplary embodiment includes providingchannel tuning commands, audio volume adjustment commands, display ofcurrent subscription receiver status including currently tuned channel,currently playing title and artist, and the like.

The processing next determines, at step 612, if the user has requestedstored configuration data be used to configure the subscriptionreceiver. A user of the wireless communications device with a satellitereceiver controller 400 is able at any time to retrieve subscriptionreceiver configuration data and use that stored configuration data tofacilitate configuration and control of the subscription receiver. Thestored configuration data is able to include, for example, selectedfavorite channels which the user prefers, audio playback configurationdata, favorite song lists, and the like. The stored configuration dataof various embodiments of the present invention is able to be stored inthe wireless communications device with a satellite receiver controller400 itself or at a remote database, such as the database manager 526operated by the subscription radio service provider. Configuration datastored in a remote database is able to be communicated to the wirelesscommunications device with a satellite receiver controller 400 over, forexample, a data link including the long range wireless link 214.

If the user requests to retrieve stored configuration data, theprocessing continues by retrieving, at step 614, stored configurationdata for use in the control of the subscription receiver. The processingof the exemplary wireless communications device with a satellitereceiver controller 400 uses this configuration in, for example,presenting options to the user or in initially configuring thesubscription receiver. After retrieving the stored configuration data,the processing returns to providing, at step 610, control of thesubscription receiver.

If the user did not request retrieving stored configuration data, theprocessing advances to determining, at step 616, if the wirelesscommunications device with a satellite receiver controller 400 is out ofBluetooth communication link range with the subscription receiver beingcontrolled. This condition is determined to be met in the exemplaryembodiment if the wireless communications device with a satellitereceiver controller 400 is not able to communicate with the subscriptionreceiver. If the wireless communications device with a satellitereceiver controller 400 is determined to be out of Bluetoothcommunications range, the processing of some embodiments then sends, atstep 618, a deactivation request to the subscription radio serviceprovider using the same communications means as is used for sending anactivation request. This step is an optional step and some otherembodiments do not transmit a deactivation request until after thewireless communications device has paired with a second subscriptionreceiver or after pairing with a second subscription receiver andtransmitted an activation request for the second receiver. Still furtherembodiments of the present invention include wireless communicationsdevices that do not send a deactivation request upon moving out ofBluetooth range of the subscription receiver. In embodiments where thewireless communications device does not send a deactivation request, adeactivation signal is automatically sent from the subscription radioservice provider 122 upon the occurrence of some event, such as thereceipt of an activation request from this wireless communicationsdevice with a satellite receiver controller 400 specifying a differentsubscription receiver. The processing then waits, at step 620, to pairwith a subscription receiver over its Bluetooth link and returns to thepairing processing, at step 602.

If the wireless communications device with a satellite receivercontroller 400 is determined to not be out of Bluetooth range, theprocessing determines, at step 622, if the user has selected to pair thewireless communications device with a satellite receiver controller 400with a second subscription receiver. If the user has not selected to doso, the processing returns to providing control of the subscriptionreceiver, at step 610. If the user does select to pair the wirelesscommunications device with a satellite receiver controller 400 with asecond subscription receiver, the processing of some embodiments of thepresent invention sends, at step 624, a deactivation request for thefirst subscription receiver, with which the wireless communicationsdevice with a satellite receiver controller 400 was initially paired.Other embodiments do not send this deactivation request and rely uponthe subscription radio service provider to automatically deactivate thefirst subscription receiver if such deactivation is necessary. Theprocessing then returns to pairing, at step 602, the wirelesscommunications device with a satellite receiver controller 400 with thesecond subscription receiver over the Bluetooth link.

FIG. 7 is a processing flow diagram 700 for the satellite mediasubscription radio service provider computer 500 illustrated in FIG. 5,in accordance with an exemplary embodiment of the present invention. Thesatellite media subscription radio service provider computer processingflow 700 begins by awaiting, at step 702, for receipt of an activationrequest from a wireless communications device with satellite receivercontroller 400. The processing then proceeds to accepting, at step 704,the activation request and then determining, at step 706, if therequesting controller identifier contained in the received activationrequest is stored in the authorized controller list. The authorizedcontroller list is maintained in a database within the satellite mediasubscription radio service provider computer 500 and contains a list ofcontroller identifiers that are authorized to activate subscriptionreceivers. For example, users who have subscriptions with the satelliteradio subscription radio service provider 122 that allow the portableactivation of the present invention have controller identifiers storedin this database. This processing step ensures that a subscriptionrequest originates from a valid requestor. If the requesting controlleridentifier is not stored in the authorized controller list, theprocessing rejects, at step 714, the activation request and returns toawait, at step 702, receipt of another activation request.

If the requesting controller identifier is stored in the authorizedcontroller list, the processing determines, at step 708, if therequesting subscription receiver identifier 708, which is thesubscription receiver identifier contained in the received authorizationrequest, is associated with a public receiver. Some embodiments of thepresent invention support defining “public receivers” which aresubscription receivers that any controller is able to activate. Suchpublic receivers may be located in, for example, restaurants, coffeehouses, hotel rooms, rental automobiles, and other such places. If therequesting subscription receiver identifier is a public receiver, theprocessing causes the sending, at step 716, of an activation signal tothe subscription receiver. Some embodiments of the present inventionfurther send, also at step 716, receiver configuration data that isdefined by one or both of the subscription radio service providersand/or the user, and that is stored at the satellite media subscriptionradio service provider computer 500.

If the requesting subscription receiver identifier is determined to notbe associated with a public radio, the processing determines, at step710, if subscription receiver to controller linking is required. Someembodiments of the present invention require linking of controllers andsubscription receivers so that a particular requesting controller canonly successfully request activation of specified subscriptionreceivers. For example, a user can be limited to only requestingactivation of subscription receivers that he or she owns and cannotrequest activation of other's subscription receivers. If subscriptionreceiver to requesting controller linking is required, the processingadvances to determining, at step 712, if the requesting subscriptionreceiver is linked to the requesting controller. This linking isspecified by data maintained in the database 220 that is maintained bythe subscription radio service provider. If the requesting subscriptionreceiver is not linked to the requesting controller, the request isrejected, at step 714, and the processing awaits, at step 702, receiptof another activation request.

If subscription receiver to requesting controller linking is notdetermined to be required or if linking is required and the requestingcontroller is linked to the requesting subscription receiver, theprocessing causes the sending, at step 716, of an activation signal tothe subscription receiver. The processing of some embodiments of thepresent invention next determines, at step 718, if the requestingcontroller has previously caused deactivation of another subscriptionreceiver. In these embodiments, the requesting controller is notrequired to send deactivation requests upon sending a request toactivate a subsequent subscription receiver, which was described as anoptional step above. If the requesting controller is trusted to sendsuch a deactivation request, the determination of a prior activation bythis requesting controller may not be required. If it is determined thatthe requesting controller has requested activation of anothersubscription receiver, the processing sends, at step 720, a deactivationsignal to the previously activated subscription receiver. In theexemplary embodiment of the present invention, the satellite mediasubscription radio service provider computer 500 stores the subscriptionreceiver identifier of the subscription receiver that was last activatedby each wireless communications device. Upon receipt of an activationrequest from a particular wireless communications controller, thesatellite media subscription radio service provider computer 500determines accesses this stored subscription identifier to determinewhich subscription receiver is to be sent a deactivation signal. Theprocessing then maintains, at step 722, billing records to record theactivation and possible deactivation of receivers for the user's accountassociated with the requesting controller identifier. The processingthen returns to awaiting, at step 702, the receipt of another activationrequest. The transmission of activation and deactivation signals isperformed in the exemplary embodiment by conventional means.

FIG. 8 is a processing flow diagram 800 for a satellite media servicereceiver 300, as illustrated in FIG. 3, in accordance with an exemplaryembodiment of the present invention. The processing of the satellitemedia service receiver 300 begins by awaiting, at step 802, for thehandshake protocol to be initiated between a wireless communicationsdevice and this satellite media service receiver. The processing thenreceives, at step 804, a query for the subscription receiver identifierover the established wireless link. The processing then sends, at step806, the subscription receiver identifier for this subscription receiverto the wireless communications device over the wireless link. Theprocessing next receives, at step 808, control instructions for thesubscription receiver from the wireless communications device over thewireless link. The processing next receives, at step 810, an activationsignal from the subscription radio service provider over the broadcastsignal media link. Upon receipt and acceptance of the activation signal,the satellite media service receiver 300 is activated and is configured,in response to accepting the activation signal, to receive subscriptionradio services.

FIG. 9 is a diagram illustrating data communications interconnectionsbetween two commonly owned satellite media service receivers inaccordance with an exemplary embodiment of the present invention. Thisexemplary configuration includes two subscription receivers, officereceiver 902 and home receiver 904, that are installed in anindividual's home and office. In this example, these two subscriptionreceivers are owned by the same individual who would like to listen toone or the other of these two subscription receiver by using a portablesubscription. The home receiver 904 is designated as receiver #1 in thisexample and office receiver 902 is designated as receiver #2. Homereceiver 904 has a unique home subscription receiver identifier 912 andoffice receiver 902 has its own office subscription receiver identifier910. Each of these subscription receivers also has a user interface,including, respectively, the office receiver user interface 906 that isassociated with the office receiver 902 and the home receiver userinterface 906 that is associated with the home receiver 904. These userinterfaces are either part of the subscription receiver itself, aredetachable and coupled to the subscription receiver over a wired orwireless link, are portable devices including Bluetooth enabled cellularphone/PDAs, or are any other suitable user interface apparatus that isable to provide user interface functions for its associated subscriptionreceiver.

These respective user interfaces allow a user to initiate an activationrequest for its associated subscription receiver. As an example, a useris able to request activation of home receiver 904 by properly enteringthe request via the home receiver user interface 908. The home receiveruser interface 908 is able to have a button simply marked “activate”which is pressed by the user to initiate the activation request. Userinterfaces of further embodiments may require other user operations toinitiate an activation request. Once the user has initiated theactivation request of the home receiver 904 through the home receiveruser interface 908, the processing of the subscription receivergenerates an activation request message that includes the home receiveridentifier 912. This activation request is transmitted to the provider122 through an appropriate data channel. The provider 122 of thisexemplary embodiment receives the subscription request a PSTN/Internetcommunications structure 920, which includes one of, or a combinationof, the public switched telephone network (PSTN) and/or the Internet.The subscription receivers, such as home receiver 904, is able tocommunicate with the PSTN/Internet communications structure 920 over anysuitable data communications connection, such as, for example, Plain OldTelephone Service (POTS), relatively short range wireless data linksbased upon an IEEE 802.11 standard or the Bluetooth standard, or acellular phone data link based upon GSM or CDMA radio links.

The home receiver 904 communicates with the PSTN/Internet structure 920over a home link 914 and the office receiver 902 communicates with thePSTN/Internet structure 920 over an office link 916. The provider 122receives the activation request over the provider link 922.

Provider 122 maintains a database 220 that stores, in association witheach other, the subscription receiver identifiers that are registeredunder each portable subscription. In this example, this particular userhas home receiver 904 and office receiver 902 registered under oneportable subscription which allows only one subscription receiver to beactivated at a time.

Once the provider 122 receives the activation request from, as in thisexample, home receiver 904, the provider examines database 220 todetermine which other subscription receivers are also registered underthis user's portable subscription. The activation request in thisrequest is generated by the home receiver 904 and includes the homereceiver identifier 912. Upon receipt of this activation request, theprocessing of the provider searches database 220 to determine otherreceivers that are registered under this user's portable subscription.In this example, this search retrieves the home receiver identifier fromdatabase 220, and the association of the home receiver identifier withthe office receiver identifier is also retrieved because these twoidentifiers are registered under the same portable subscription and thedatabase 220 stores this association.

Upon receipt of the activation request from the home receiver 904, whichincludes the home receiver identifier 912, the processing performed bythe provider 122 automatically transmits, via uplink broadcast signal222 and downlink broadcast signal 224, a deactivation signal to theoffice receiver 902. This deactivation signal includes the officereceiver identifier 910 and cause the deactivation of the officereceiver. The processing performed by provider 122 also transmits anactivation signal to the home receiver 904. This activation signalincludes the home receiver identifier 912.

The above described operation of this exemplary embodiment of thepresent invention advantageously provides that an activation requestfrom one subscription receiver causes the deactivation of the user'sother subscription receiver(s) as well as activation of the receiverthrough which the activation request was initiated.

Some embodiments of the present invention incorporate different database designs for the data stored in database 220. For example, a simpleassociation of all subscription receivers registered under a particularportable subscription is able to be stored so that an activation requestfrom one of these subscription receivers causes a deactivation signal tobe transmitted to all of that user's other subscription receivers. Otherdata base designs may include an indicator of which, if any,subscription receivers are currently activated and the deactivationsignal is only sent to the currently activated subscription receiver.

The operation of the exemplary embodiments of the present invention areable to incorporate various subscription plans to support the activationof multiple subscription receivers. For example, a user may be offered asubscription plan where only one subscription receiver of a specifiedset of receivers can be activated at a time, but the user is free toselect and change the activated receiver at will. This subscription planmay be offered at a cost that is greater than that normally charged toactivate a single subscription receiver, but less than would be chargedto activate two or a certain number of receivers.

Non-Limiting Software and Hardware Examples

Embodiments of the invention can be implemented as a program product foruse with a computer system such as, for example, the computingenvironment shown in FIG. 1 and described herein. The program(s) of theprogram product defines functions of the embodiments (including themethods described herein) and can be contained on a variety of computerreadable media. Illustrative computer readable medium include, but arenot limited to: (i) information permanently stored on non-writablestorage medium (e.g., read-only memory devices within a computer such asCD-ROM disk readable by a CD-ROM drive); (ii) alterable informationstored on writable storage medium (e.g., floppy disks within a diskettedrive or hard-disk drive); or (iii) information conveyed to a computerby a communications medium, such as through a computer or telephonenetwork, including wireless communications. The latter embodimentspecifically includes information downloaded from the Internet and othernetworks. Such computer readable media, when carrying computer-readableinstructions that direct the functions of the present invention,represent embodiments of the present invention.

In general, the routines executed to implement the embodiments of thepresent invention, whether implemented as part of an operating system ora specific application, component, program, module, object or sequenceof instructions may be referred to herein as a “program.” The computerprogram typically is comprised of a multitude of instructions that willbe translated by the native computer into a machine-readable format andhence executable instructions. Also, programs are comprised of variablesand data structures that either reside locally to the program or arefound in memory or on storage devices. In addition, various programsdescribed herein may be identified based upon the application for whichthey are implemented in a specific embodiment of the invention. However,it should be appreciated that any particular program nomenclature thatfollows is used merely for convenience, and thus the invention shouldnot be limited to use solely in any specific application identifiedand/or implied by such nomenclature.

It is also clear that given the typically endless number of manners inwhich computer programs may be organized into routines, procedures,methods, modules, objects, and the like, as well as the various mannersin which program functionality may be allocated among various softwarelayers that are resident within a typical computer (e.g., operatingsystems, libraries, API's, applications, applets, etc.) It should beappreciated that the invention is not limited to the specificorganization and allocation or program functionality described herein.

The present invention can be realized in hardware, software, or acombination of hardware and software. A system according to a preferredembodiment of the present invention can be realized in a centralizedfashion in one computer system, or in a distributed fashion wheredifferent elements are spread across several interconnected computersystems. Any kind of computer system—or other apparatus adapted forcarrying out the methods described herein—is suited. A typicalcombination of hardware and software could be a general purpose computersystem with a computer program that, when being loaded and executed,controls the computer system such that it carries out the methodsdescribed herein.

Each computer system may include, inter alia, one or more computers andat least a signal bearing medium allowing a computer to read data,instructions, messages or message packets, and other signal bearinginformation from the signal bearing medium. The signal bearing mediummay include non-volatile memory, such as ROM, Flash memory, Disk drivememory, CD-ROM, and other permanent storage. Additionally, a computermedium may include, for example, volatile storage such as RAM, buffers,cache memory, and network circuits. Furthermore, the signal bearingmedium may comprise signal bearing information in a transitory statemedium such as a network link and/or a network interface, including awired network or a wireless network, that allow a computer to read suchsignal bearing information.

Although specific embodiments of the invention have been disclosed,those having ordinary skill in the art will understand that changes canbe made to the specific embodiments without departing from the spiritand scope of the invention. The scope of the invention is not to berestricted, therefore, to the specific embodiments. Furthermore, it isintended that the appended claims cover any and all such applications,modifications, and embodiments within the scope of the presentinvention.

What is claimed is:
 1. A method on a wireless communications device for controlling and requesting activation of a subscription activated media receiver, the method comprising: providing, through a first wireless connection, control of a subscription activated media receiver from a wireless communications device that is separate from the subscription activated media receiver; receiving, through the first wireless connection, at least one subscription receiver identifier from the subscription activated media receiver; and transmitting, through a second wireless connection, at least one activation request message from the wireless communications device to at least one subscription service provider, the activation request message comprising the subscription receiver identifier and at least one controller identifier for identifying at least one account associated with the wireless communications device.
 2. The method of claim 1, wherein at least one of: (i) the first wireless connection is at least one wireless connection conforming to at least one of a Bluetooth standard, an IEEE 802.11 standard, and an infrared controller standard, (ii) the second wireless connection comprises at least one of a cellular communications system data link and a data link conforming to an IEEE 802.11 standard, and (iii) the wireless communications device comprises at least one of a cellular telephone, a two-way text messaging device, a two-way multimedia messaging device, and a personal digital assistant.
 3. The method of claim 1, wherein at least one of: (i) the subscription activated media receiver is configured to receives at least one satellite broadcast radio signal, accepts at least one activation signal and is further configured, in response to accepting the activation signal, to receive subscription radio services transmitted on the satellite broadcast radio signal, (ii) the controller identifier comprises at least one of a cellular phone electronic serial number, electronic identification number, and a subscriber number associated with an individual, (iii) the wireless communications device is configured: (i) to provide channel selection commands to the subscription activated media receiver and (ii) to monitor: channels to which the subscription activated media receiver is tuned, and (iv) the method further comprises transmitting, over the second wireless connection to a data collection facility, one or more channels to which the subscription activated media receiver is tuned.
 4. The method of claim 1, further comprising: determining that the wireless communications device is unable to communicate with the subscription activated media receiver; and transmitting, in response to the determining, at least one deactivation request for the subscription activated media receiver.
 5. The method of claim 1, further comprising: receiving, through the first wireless connection, at least one second subscription receiver identifier from a second subscription activated media receiver; and transmitting, through the second wireless connection, at least one second activation request message from the wireless communications device to the subscription service provider, the second activation request message comprising the second receiver identifier and the controller identifier.
 6. The method of claim 5, further comprising at least one of: (i) transmitting, through the second wireless connection, at least one deactivation request for the subscription activated media receiver, (ii) storing at least one subscription receiver configuration data item, the subscription receiver configuration data item comprising at least one of: at least one preset channel selection definition, at least one preferred artist, at least one preferred song title, at least one subscription receiver configuration setting; (iii) storing at least one subscription receiver configuration data item, the subscription receiver configuration data item comprising at least one of: at least one preset channel selection definition, at least one preferred artist, at least one preferred song title, at least one subscription receiver configuration setting; (iv) transmitting, over the first wireless connection, the subscription receiver configuration data item to the subscription activated media receiver, and (v) transmitting, over the first wireless connection, the subscription receiver configuration data item to (1) the subscription activated media receiver and (2) a second subscription activated media receiver.
 7. A computer implemented method, performed on at least one of a computer or a data processor coupled to a subscription media transmitter, for processing at least one activation request message for at least one subscription activated media receiver, the comprising: receiving at least one activation request message, the activation request message comprising at least one first requesting subscription receiver identifier indicative of a first subscription media receiver, the activation request message having been received over a telecommunications link; and transmitting over a wireless broadcast channel, at least one deactivation signal to a second subscription media receiver associated with at least one second requesting subscription receiver identifier.
 8. The method of claim 7, further comprising: transmitting, over the wireless broadcast channel, an activation signal to the first subscription media receiver that is associated with the at least one requesting subscription receiver identifier.
 9. The method of claim 7, further comprising: storing at least one controller identifier, each of the at least one controller identifier being associated with a respective controller authorized to request activation of subscription activated media receivers; and validating the activation request message received over the telecommunications link, wherein the transmitting is performed in response to the validating.
 10. The method of claim 7, further comprising: storing at least one public subscription receiver identifier, each of the at least one public subscription receiver identifiers being associated with a respective public subscription activated media receiver that is authorized to receive activation signals in response to validation of activation request messages, wherein the validating comprises determining (i) that the requesting controller identifier is contained within the stored at least one controller identifier, and (ii) that the requesting subscription receiver identifier is contained within the at least one public subscription receiver identifier.
 11. The method of claim 7, further comprising: accepting, over the telecommunications link, at least one second activation request message, the second activation request message comprising at least one second requesting subscription receiver identifier and a requesting controller identifier; validating the second activation request message; transmitting, in response to validating the second activation request message, at least one activation signal to a second subscription receiver associated with the second requesting subscription receiver identifier; and transmitting, in response to validating the second activation request message, at least one deactivation signal to the first subscription receiver.
 12. The method of claim 7, wherein the storing further comprises storing, in association with each of the at least one controller identifier, at least one subscription receiver data item, the subscription receiver data item comprising at least one of: at least one preset station definition, at least one preferred artist, at least one preferred song title, at least one subscription receiver configuration setting, wherein the transmitting further comprises transmitting the subscription receiver data item to the subscription activated media receiver.
 13. The method of claim 7 wherein the validating comprises determining that the requesting controller identifier is contained within the stored at least stored one controller identifier.
 14. The method of claim 13, further comprising storing at least one subscription receiver identifier, wherein the validating further comprises determining that the requesting subscription receiver identifier is contained within the at least one stored subscription receiver identifier.
 15. The method of claim 7, further comprising: receiving, over the telecommunications link, at least one second subscription receiver identifier associated with a second subscription activated media receiver; and transmitting, over the wireless broadcast channel, at least one second activation signal to the second subscription media receiver.
 16. The method of claim 15, further comprising transmitting, over the wireless broadcast channel, at least one deactivation message to the subscription media receiver.
 17. The method of claim 7, further comprising: storing at least one association of a stored subscription receiver identifier to one particular controller identifier that is stored within the at least one controller identifier, and wherein the validating comprises determining if the requesting subscription receiver identifier and the requesting controller identifier are both contained within one association within the at least one association.
 18. The method of claim 17, wherein the association comprises at least one association between the stored controller identifier and a plurality of stored subscription receiver identifiers.
 19. The method of claim 17, further comprising: validating a plurality of activation request messages; determining a number of unique requesting subscription receiver identifiers that are contained within the plurality of activation request messages that contain the requesting controller identifier; and maintaining billing records based upon the number.
 20. A method for activating subscription receivers, comprising: signalling, through a first wireless connection, a subscription activated media receiver from a wireless communications device that is separate from the subscription activated media receiver; receiving, through the first wireless connection, at least one subscription receiver identifier from the subscription activated media receiver; transmitting, through a second wireless connection, at least one activation request message from the wireless communications device to at least one subscription service provider, the activation request message comprising the subscription receiver identifier and at least one additional identifier for identifying at least one account associated with the wireless communications device; receiving, at a subscription service provider over a second wireless connection, the activation request data message; storing, at the subscription service provider, at least one authorized identifier, each of the at least one authorized identifier being associated with a respective wireless communications device authorized to request activation of subscription activated media receivers; validating the activation request; and transmitting over a wireless broadcast channel, in response to the validating, at least one activation signal to the subscription activated media receiver. 